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Hi Len,
I wrote,
Of course you are right in mentioning what the dictonary has to say about
gender, but what JR meant is IMO the following,
The general idea that memes could have a gender bias is expressed in
which words oneself uses to express themselves.
Len:
I'm not sure exactly what you mean.
Are you saying that the male gender and female gender typically
use different words to express themselves?
<< First let me remind you of the fact that this thread is highly speculative,
the concept is still very much in its infancy. Look for clues in the post of
TJ Olney.
But anyway, Yes, that is was I am saying, males and females are using
different words to express themselves, but with that understanding that they
can actually use the same word(s) but they give it/ them another " meaning "
_that is not the right word, I would say... another " depth "; a different
" tongue "; a different " mode ", there is somehow another " expression
side " to them... or something similar. Maybe someone out the linguistic
area could tell you I suppose.
Anyone !?
Or, are you saying that the same words typically mean different
things to each gender?
<< Yes, this is also true ! Where do you think the verbal battle between
the sexes is coming from !? The " gender " where we talk about here,
is there to be found IMO. That is, typically meme((s)structures) were to be
typically feminine/ masculine.
Or is it a combination of both?
<< I think this would be the ultimate discription, but there could be a third
possibility involved. This would be the possibility that memes themselves were to be masculine or feminine in their origin. Don 't really know what that would
mean substantial, though.
Regardless if they were expressed by a male/ female they would stay as
they were ( feminine/ masculine).
So males could express ' feminine ' memes and vice versa without really
know it. In a way memes intermix and in a sense they don 't really care
by which gender they were to be expressed.
But there is no doubt that certain memes are typically feminine/ masculine.
Like " the- being- pregnant- meme " for females
Like " they- think-they- are- in charge- meme " for males.
Kenneth:
That is when a male talks about order will he mean the same thing as a
female does !? And will he do that with to his gender- related words !?
Does a male/ female thinks, feels, experieces, .... the same things when both
read a book about suicide !?
That is in the ' sex ' meaning of gender.
Len:
Why not simply hypothesize that there are gender differences in the way
people express themselves? Or, there are gender differences in the way
people *experience* certain memes?
<< Of course, I have no problems with this statement. Like Vincent said
on the first draft of this thread way back in July 2000, there has to be
something different about male/ female information processing.
Males/ females use different language constructs as a result of that, and
in the end this includes different cultural/ social/... behavior.
Kenneth:
like I asked before
on this list, concerning memetics that is...is Memetics a Male- thing !?
Not many females take actually part in the discussions, and that is just a
way in how you must see what JR means. Is memetics somehow male-
gender related !? According to Chris Lofting, as I remerber correctly it is,
but don 't ask me how....)
Len:
I've been wondering the very same thing; why so few females post to these
discussions. What makes memetics a male thing? In would be interesting
to have Susan Blackmore's input on this question?
<< The answer where Chris came up with was that females do participate
but they like to lurk. They follow their female instincts, opportunism, mitsein,
they do work on memetics but they don't show it, they do not act like we
males do, debating, throwing arguments at eachother.
<< I think, Daniella and TJ olney answered this for me though ! Thanks !!
Len:
It would be interesting if through research we could tease out the purely
gender-related reasons for male-female differences in their understanding
and usage of language.
How would you tease this !? The only real reference I got, is the one which
L. de Bivort gave us last July 2000,
" The best and most interesting source that I am familiar with is Tannen's
work, but it is essentially anecdotal and speculative ".
Don 't know anything about it, never checked the refenrence... maybe now
I will.
Kindest regards,
Len Whoops! That expression sounds female! :-)
Let me change it.
Take care ole buddy,
You to, mate !
Kenneth
( I am, because we are) (full of ) mussels ( get it !?)
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